Avian flu has been reported in wild birds or domestic flocks in South Dakota in three cases in April and it took a toll in birds in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Avian flu was detected in two red-tailed hawks in Minnehaha County on April 19, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The most recent was a Canada goose in Beadle County on April 27.
The USDA said the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks (GFP) Department reported the cases. The GFP also reported a case in a red-tailed hawk on Jan. 31 in Hughes County.
Two red-tailed hawks were among the wild birds that died from avian flu, or specifically the strain called HPAI in South Dakota in 2022, according to the GFP’s 2022 annual report.
The GFP estimated that avian flu killed an estimated 23,133 wild birds in the state.
But that number is low, with 23,307 wild birds suspected of dying, the GFP said in the report.
The GFP described the deaths as mortality events. It recorded 56 mortality events involving 157 Canada geese, 11 assorted ducks, two red-tailed hawks, four swans, and 23,133 snow geese.
Source: siouxlandproud.com
Photo Credit: pexels-ellie-burgin
Categories: South Dakota, General